Athletes and Start Coach recognised for their contributions to the GB Rowing Team
The recent GB Rowing Team Final Trials finished with a special award ceremony
Imogen Grant (right) pictured with Emily Craig at the Team GB announcement for Tokyo 2020 (Izzy Cooper)
Congratulations to all of the below who have been recognised for their performances for the Great Britain Rowing Team in the past year. The following awards were presented in a ceremony held at Caversham after Final Trials last weekend.
The Mark Lees Trophy: Presented to up and coming female and male rowers
In 2021, Lola Anderson (above) won a bronze medal at World Cup 2 and the Princess Royal Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Lola has now joined the senior squad and was the winner in the Women’s Single Sculls (W1x) at the recent April 2022 final trials.
Douwe de Graaf and Calvin Tarczy, pictured above, won a silver medal at World Cup 3 in Sabaudia and became U23 World Champions in the Men’s Pair (M2-). They are both currently studying in the USA.
The Dan Topolski Award: Recognises the work of a leading development coach
Helen Brown, Start Coach at Twickenham and pictured above, is on UK Sport’s Female Coaches Leadership Programme. She is working with a group of athletes with exciting potential, Vwaire Obukohwo and Callum Dixon, the reigning U23 World Champion in the Men’s Double Sculls (M2x).
BOA Athletes of the Year: Awarded to a male and female Olympic athlete who best uphold the BOA values of pride, unity, responsibility and respect
Imogen Grant (above) came agonisingly close to a medal in Tokyo in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x). She has shown huge dignity in defeat, appreciates the value of teamwork and is highly motivated to achieve her dreams in Paris. Most recently, you may have seen Imogen stroking the winning women’s Cambridge Blue Boat on the Tideway.
Jack Beaumont (above) represented Great Britain for 11 years since competing at the World Rowing Junior Championships in 2010. He has won many medals throughout his career and raced at two Olympic Games. At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games he led the Men’s Quad (M4x) to a historic silver medal for GB in this event. He has recently retired from the team, but his love and passion for rowing remain and he is still heavily involved in the sport.
The BPA Athlete of the Year: Presented to a member of our Paralympic team who has upheld the BPA values of excellence honesty and trust
Oliver Stanhope (above) set the standard for the group in terms of quality of training and positive attitude throughout the 2020 cycle. He has made physical and technical progress year-on-year since joining the squad in 2017 and is the only athlete from the squad to win a gold medal at every World Championships and the Paralympic Games in the 2020 cycle.
Thanks to AllMarkOne and Izzy Cooper for photos
